the Apoftles, and fucceeding Clergy, from Chrift, to this Day. That no Heathen Priests can fay the fame : They were not appointed by the Gods whom they ferved, but by others in after-Ages: They cannot ftand the Teft of the Four Rules before-mentioned, which the Chriftian Priefts can do, and they only. Now the Chriftian Priesthood, as Inftituted by Chrift Himself, and continu'd by Succeffion to this Day, being as Impregnable and Flagrant a Teftimony to the Truth of the Matters of Fact of Chrift, as the Sacraments, or any other Publick Inftitutions: Befides. that, if the Priesthood were taken away, the Sacraments, and other Publick Inftitutions, which are adminiftred by their Hands, muft fall with them: Therefore the Devil has been moft bufie, and bent his greateft. Force, in all Ages, against the Prieft bood, knowing, that if That goes down, All go's with it.

XIX. WITH the Deifts, in this Caufe, are join'd the Quakers, and other of our Diffenters, who throw off the Succeffion of our Priesthood, (by which only it can be demonftrated) together with the Sacraments and publick Festivals. And if the Devil cou'd have prevail'd to have thefe dropt, the Chriftian Religion would lofe the moft Undeniable and Demonftrative Proof for the Truth of the Matter of Fact of our Saviour, upon which the Truth of his Doctrine do's depend. Therefore we may fee the Artifice and Malice of the Devil, in all these Attempts. And let those wretched Inftruments, whom he Ignorantly (and fome by a misguided Zeal) has deluded thus to undermine Chriftianity, now at laft look back and fee the Snare in which they have been taken: if they had prevail'd, or ever fhould, Chriftianity. dies with them. At leaft, it will be render'd precarious, as a thing of which no Certain Proof can be given. Therefore let those of them, who have any Zeal for the Truth, blefs God that they have not C 4

For

pre

prevail'd; and quickly leave them; and let all or thers be aware of them.

AND let us Confider and Honour the Priesthood, Sacraments, and other Publick Inftitutions of Chrift, not only as Means of Grace, and Helps to Devotion, but as the Great Evidences of the Chriftian Religion.

SUCH Evidences as no pretended Revelation ever had, or can have. Such as do plainly diftinguish it from all foolish Legends and Impoftures whatfoever.

1

XX. AND now, laft of all, if one Word of Advice would not be loft, upon Men who think fo unmeafurably of themfelves, as the Deifts, you may reprefent to them, what a Condition they are in, who spend that Life and Senfe, which God has given them, in Ridiculing the Greateft of His Blefings, His Revelations of Chrift, and by Chrift, to Redeem thofe from Eternal Mifery, who fhall Believe in Him, and Obey His Laws. And that God, in His wonderful Mercy and Wisdom, has fo Guarded His Revelations, as that it is paft the Power of Men or Devils to Counterfeit And that there is no Denying of them, unless we will be fo abfurd, as to deny not only the Reafon, but the Certainty of the outward Senfes, not only of One, or Two, or Three, but of Mankind in General. That this Cafe is fo very Plain, that nothing but want of Thought can hinder any to difcover it. That they muft yield it to be fo Plain, unless they can fhew fome Forgery, which has all the Four Marks, before fet down. But if they cannot do this, they muft quit their Caufe, and yield a Happy Victory over themfelves: Or elfe fit down under all that Ignominy, with which they have loaded the Priests, of being, not only the moft Pernicious, but (what will Gall them more) the moft Inconfiderate, and Inconfiderable of Mankind,

THERES

THEREFORE, let them not think it an Undervaluing of their Worthiness, that their whole Cause is comprised within fo narrow a Compass: And no more Time beftow'd upon it than it is worth.

BUT let them, rather, Reflect, how far they have been all this Time from Chriftianity; whofe Rudiments they are yet to learn! How far from the Way of Salvation! How far the Race of their Lives is run, before they have fet one Step in the Road to Heaven. And therefore, how much Diligence they ought to ufe, to redeem all that Time they have loft, left they lose themfelves for ever; and be convinc'd, by a dreadful Experience, when it is too late, That the Gospel is a Truth, and of the laft Confequence.

FINI S.

A

Difcourfe concerning EPISCOPACY. SHALL begin this Difcourfe with a folemn Appeal to every Perfon, who has read the foregoing fhort Method with the Deifts, whether it is not abfolutely neceffary, that a lineal and uninterrupted Succeffion of the Minifters of JESUS CHRIST hould be preferved, left Chriftianity, our holy Religion Should

Jhould be render'd precarious, as a Thing of which no certain Proof can be given?

I AM fure there is no Man in his Wits but will fay, it is abfolutely neceffary.

I wou'd not be fo underftood, as if I meant that every One who has read the fhort Method, is fully convinc'd that the Succeffion must be derived in the Bishops: But this I mean; that there is no Man (without he has a Defign to fap and undermine the very Foundations of Chriftianity) but will,nay, he muft own, that it is of abfolute Neceffity, that there fhould be an uninterrupted Succeffion of the Priesthood preferved: And for this reafon, becaufe fhou'd the Succeffion be broken and interrupted, the Chriftian Religion would lofe the moft undeniable and demonftrative Proof for the Truth of the Matter of Fact of our Saviour, upon which the Truth of his Doctrine do's depend. For the Proof and Illuftration of which I refer to the Short Method.

AND 2dly, I ask thofe Perfons who have perus'd what Mr. Pemberton (a famous diffenting Teacher in New-England, now deceas'd) has faid in his Difcourfe of Ordination by Presbyters, whether he is not fatisfy'd that, It is moft evident that thofe who are to ferve God in the Miniftry of his Gofpel, must be duely authoriz'd to discharge the Office of a "Gofpel Minifter? And that, God has not left this Work of the Miniftry in common, but within a facred Inclofure, which can't be broke over without the Efforts of a Corab-like Spirit? As that great Man hath excellently exprefs'd it. But inafmuch as this Treatife may fall into the Hands of fome, who have not feen what Mr. Pemberton has written, I

fhall

* Whether this Succeffion must be preferv'd only in the Bifhops, or whether it may not be deriv'd thro' the Presbyters, or whether Bishops. and Presbyters are not the fame, I do not now fay: But what I contend for as neceflary, is an uninte rupted Succeffion of Gospel Minifters: And. he that denyes fuch a Succeffion of the Miniftry to be neceffary, is an Enemy to Chriftianity,

fhall fay fomething at this time by way of Advice to thofe Perfons, who madly think that there is nothing at all neceffary to conftitute a Gofpel Minifter, but (what they fondly call) a good stock of Gifts. To thefe mad Enthufiafts, thefe heady Impoftors, whofe pretended Gifts are in nothing extraordinary, except in a furious Zeal without Knowledge, and a Volubility of Tongue, which proceeds from a Habit of Speaking without Thinking; and an Affurance that is never out of Countenance; for ten Thousand Blunders, which wou'd dash and confound any Man of Senfe, or Modefty, or that confider'd the prefence of God, in which he fpoke: To these Men I fay I fhall fpeak fomething concerning the Qualifications requifite in a Gofpel Minifter.

THESE Qualifications are of two forts, Perfonal or Sacerdotal.

Ift. Perfonal. The Holiness of the Adminiftrator. And, tho' this is a great Qualification to fit and prepare a Man for fuch an holy Adminiftration, yet this alone does not fufficiently qualify any Man to take upon him fuch an Adminiftration.

BUT there is moreover requir'd, 2dly, a Sacerdotal Qualification; that is, an outward Commission to authorife a Man to execute any facerdotal, or minifterial Act of Religion. For, This Honour no Man taketh unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron; Heb. v. 4. So alfo CHRIST glorified not himself to be made an High-Prieft, but He that faid unto bim, Thou art my Son; Prieft, &c.

Thou art a

ACCORDINGLY we find, that Chrift did not take upon him the Office of a Preacher, till after that outward Commiffion given to Him by a Voice from Heaven, at his Baptifm, for it is written, Mat. iv. 17. From that Time Jefus began to preach, THEN He began, and He was then about thir y Tears of Age. Luke iii. 23. Now no Man can doubt of Chrift's Qualifications, before that Time, as to Holi-

nefs,